Toowoomba council approves 51-lot subdivision at Westbrook by Brisbane developer James Walsh

A Brisbane developer has been given the green light to turn a 51ha parcel of land in a fast-growing area into a new subdivision. See the plans here.

A fast-growing community just outside Toowoomba is finally getting more housing, after the council approved a new 51-lot subdivision by a Brisbane developer.

Vanderbilt Private Equity director James Walsh was given the green light to turn a 51ha parcel of land off Katrina Court in Westbrook into a new housing estate over two stages.

According to the plans lodged in April, the new developer would retain an existing property in the centre of the parcel, before building lots around it and creating new roads for access.

“Stage two of the development seeks to subdivide the remainder of the site into 51 residential lots with site areas ranging from 501sq m to 1083sq m,” Precinct Urban Planning wrote in its report.

“Stage two will include construction of the internal road to a similar road standard to Katrina Court and includes an 18m-wide road reserve, 7m wide pavement with concrete kerb and channel.

“The road verge will include street trees and a concrete footpath on one side of the road.”

After an assessment period that included an extensive information request from council and numerous reports, Toowoomba Regional Council planning officer Katrina Christensen approved the plans, subject to more than 100 conditions.

“The development was assessed against all of the assessment benchmarks listed above and complies with all of these without exception,” Ms Christensen wrote.

The development approval also comes with an infrastructure charges bill worth more than $1.56m.

According to the 2021 census, Westbrook grew by nearly 800 residents and more than 200 families over five years.

Residents and developers have argued the area’s growth has been constrained, an argument disputed by council.

The Catholic Diocese has signalled plans for a new school in Westbrook to keep pace with growth.